A DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normung e.V., in English, the German Institute for Standardization) rail or top hat rail is a standardized metal rail with a hat-shaped cross section, widely used to mount industrial control and other equipment inside enclosures, racks, etc. DIN rails are used inside water/dust proof cabinets to secure data transferring equipment (switch, hubs, etc.). In addition to water/dust proof cabinets, DIN rails can be installed on racks, walls, and variety of cabinets, which permits flexible installations. DIN rail is a hat-shaped metallic channel designed for consistent, easy and quick installation of electronic devices. It is widely used in industry for building electrical cabinets, and is relatively less expensive and more robust as compared to alternative mounting options.
DIN issued standard EN 50022 for the 35 mm symmetric rail. Standard EN50035 was issued for 32 mm G profile rail. Standard EN 50045 was issued for the 15 mm wide rail. All the mounting rails have been collected together in IEC 715 issued in 1981 and subsequently renumbered IEC 60715. A German version was released as EN 60715:2001.
DIN rail adapters help distribute data to DIN rail mounted equipment. Standard adapters are dedicated with one type of connector mounted inside the adapter; i.e., they are not compatible with modular connectors which can be configured in the field for different connector types such as CAT 5e, CAT 6, CAT 6A, HDMI, USB. etc. These dedicated adapters require that the entire adapter be replaced if a customer migrates from CAT 5e to CAT 6, for example.
Grounding data networks can be a customer a requirement, but grounding sometimes increases noise in the signal being passed through the data line, through the introduction of ground loops, for example. In some cases, selectable grounding in the field is required for a technician to configure a DIN rail system to a particular environment. In many cases, the ground requirement is determined after the adapter is installed in a water/dust proof cabinet. One prior art solution requires the use of a screwdriver to release a grounding tab. In this solution, an RJ45 patch cord connected to the adapter must be removed to allow a user to access the grounding tab with the screwdriver. This configuration does not lend itself to quick and easy grounding.
Another problem in the art is that there is a need to be able to increase the density of connectors in a given enclosure without using additional DIN rail space, which may or may not be available in the given enclosure. If an enclosure has no available DIN rail space, and additional connectors are required for an application, then the enclosure needs to be replaced with a larger enclosure or a second enclosure must be added, both at considerable expense.